- 591
Francis Newton Souza
Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Francis Newton Souza
- Standing Nude
- Signed and dated 'Souza 57' upper right and further signed, dated and inscribed 'F.N. Souza / Nude - 1957," on reverse
- Oil on board
- 48 x 24 in. (122 x 61 cm.)
- Painted in 1957
Provenance
Private London Collection
Bonhams London, 12 November 1997, lot 97
Christie's London, 2 May 2003, lot 567
Bonhams London, 12 November 1997, lot 97
Christie's London, 2 May 2003, lot 567
Literature
E. Mullins, Souza, Anthony Blond Publishers, London, 1962, illustration p. 61
Condition
This painting is in overall very good condition, as viewed. Colors on the body of the figure appear more saturated in print than in reality.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In 1956, on the heels of both the publication of Nirvana of a Maggot and his first solo exhibition at London's Gallery One, Souza was introduced to the American collector Harold Kovner by gallerist Iris Clert in Paris. Kovner was immediately impressed with Souza's work, and thus began a sponsorship of the artist which lasted through 1960. Under Kovner's patronage, Souza could live and work without financial worries for the first time in his life.
The Kovner years were extremely productive for Souza, and the artist produced some of his finest and most iconic work, of which the current painting from 1957, Standing Nude, is a magnificent example.
In the current work, one finds a tenderness Souza reserves for a rare selection of his female nudes. The naïve young beauty; solid lines outlining the face, illustrated with a geometrically long nose; earthy spare palette; sparse physical ornamentation with a noticeably Mediterranean design and dispassionate gaze, all rendered in thick Georges Rouault-like black lines are distinct features of other nudes from this early period. Layered with thick impasto delivered with heavy slashes of the palette knife, the texture and depth the current work offers the viewer a thoroughly ripe, tactile presentation. Aziz Kurtha articulates, “…there is no attempt to make her look beautiful. ….The apparently pregnant belly…., a generally expressionless face, framed by a thick mane of hair, are recurrent images in his nudes of that era.” (A. Kurtha, Francis Newton Souza- Bridging Western and Indian Modern Art, Mapin Publishing & Grantha Corporation, Ahmedabad, 2006, p. 153)
Among the founding members of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group and the post-Independence innovators, Souza pioneered the frontal nude. Throughout his life, Souza continued to paint nudes in many forms (particularly nubile and young) and they remained central to his work. His early paintings were influenced by the voluptuous forms of classical Indian temple carving, but on his move to London, he increasingly absorbed more European influences. It has been suggested that Spanish Romanesque art inspired his iconic stances and frontal compositions. Like the nudes of Manet, Picasso and Rouault, Souza's nudes go beyond the boundaries of convention. Unlike his contemporary M.F. Husain, there is no attempt to attain the 'innocence' of folk art; his intention is rather to face the contemporary world head on.
In his monograph on the artist, where this work is also published, Edwin Mullins discusses the significance of the female nude in Souza’s practice. “[Souza’s] women with girdles and high rounded breasts, fastening a pin in their hair [...] clearly have their origins in Indian stone carvings and bronzes. Yet in spirit they are not traditional […] On the whole his paintings of nudes are more gentle than most of his other work; they have less impassioned ferocity about them. At the same time they are often perverse and obsessed. The inelegant sexual poses, the blunt emphasis on the pregnant belly, the ravaged face. They suggest a personal fascination with the female body, blended with an almost Swiftian disgust with its natural functions.” (E. Mullins, Souza, Anthony Blond Publishers, London, 1962, p. 43)
The Kovner years were extremely productive for Souza, and the artist produced some of his finest and most iconic work, of which the current painting from 1957, Standing Nude, is a magnificent example.
In the current work, one finds a tenderness Souza reserves for a rare selection of his female nudes. The naïve young beauty; solid lines outlining the face, illustrated with a geometrically long nose; earthy spare palette; sparse physical ornamentation with a noticeably Mediterranean design and dispassionate gaze, all rendered in thick Georges Rouault-like black lines are distinct features of other nudes from this early period. Layered with thick impasto delivered with heavy slashes of the palette knife, the texture and depth the current work offers the viewer a thoroughly ripe, tactile presentation. Aziz Kurtha articulates, “…there is no attempt to make her look beautiful. ….The apparently pregnant belly…., a generally expressionless face, framed by a thick mane of hair, are recurrent images in his nudes of that era.” (A. Kurtha, Francis Newton Souza- Bridging Western and Indian Modern Art, Mapin Publishing & Grantha Corporation, Ahmedabad, 2006, p. 153)
Among the founding members of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group and the post-Independence innovators, Souza pioneered the frontal nude. Throughout his life, Souza continued to paint nudes in many forms (particularly nubile and young) and they remained central to his work. His early paintings were influenced by the voluptuous forms of classical Indian temple carving, but on his move to London, he increasingly absorbed more European influences. It has been suggested that Spanish Romanesque art inspired his iconic stances and frontal compositions. Like the nudes of Manet, Picasso and Rouault, Souza's nudes go beyond the boundaries of convention. Unlike his contemporary M.F. Husain, there is no attempt to attain the 'innocence' of folk art; his intention is rather to face the contemporary world head on.
In his monograph on the artist, where this work is also published, Edwin Mullins discusses the significance of the female nude in Souza’s practice. “[Souza’s] women with girdles and high rounded breasts, fastening a pin in their hair [...] clearly have their origins in Indian stone carvings and bronzes. Yet in spirit they are not traditional […] On the whole his paintings of nudes are more gentle than most of his other work; they have less impassioned ferocity about them. At the same time they are often perverse and obsessed. The inelegant sexual poses, the blunt emphasis on the pregnant belly, the ravaged face. They suggest a personal fascination with the female body, blended with an almost Swiftian disgust with its natural functions.” (E. Mullins, Souza, Anthony Blond Publishers, London, 1962, p. 43)